Cyprus Crisis

The Cyprus Crisis a 2002 military conflict between the British-backed Cypriot government and Greek nationalist rebels. The nationalists launched an insurgency against Dimitri Nicolaou's government in response to his concessions to Northern Cyprus during a British-brokered peace resolution between the two nations, and they briefly succeeded in seizing power before the British restored Nicolaou to power.

Background
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Francis Urquhart, a veteran of the Cyprus Emergency of 1955-59, sought to leave his mark on world history, so he decided to commit his foreign policy goals towards resolving the border dispute between Greek Cyprus and Northern Cyprus. Foreign Secretary Tom Makepeace arranged for a summit between Greek Cypriot president Dimitri Nicolaou and Turkish Cypriot President Yasar Yunus to formally demarcate the border between the two countries. However, Prime Minister Urquhart took the credit for this, aiming to boost his renown. Secretly, he negotiated with Turkish Cypriot businessman and Conservative Party donor Abdullah Nures, who told him that there was an oil deposit in the disputed zone, and asked for him to appoint a British judge to arbitrate the dispute in the Turks' favor. The international committee was divided, with France and Serbia backing Cyprus, and Egypt and Malaysia backing Northern Cyprus. Ultimately, the British judge Clive Watling ruled in favor of the Turks after Urquhart's wife Elizabeth McCullough told him of the oil, and that the French would receive the oil rights if the Greek Cypriots won the case. Northern Cyprus acquired the oil deposit, and its companies began to drill.

Hoping to provoke another "Falklands War" (a successful foreign war to boost government popularity), Prime Minister Urquhart decided to leak information concerning the oil deposits. The Greek Cypriots felt cheated by the loss of their oil, and nationalism grew in the country. Led by Georgios Theodopoulos, militant nationalists took up arms against British forces already on Cyprus. They called for the nationalization of British industries and the expulsion of British forces from their military bases on the island.

This dispute also caused political tensions at home in Britain. Prime Minister Urquhart's Conservative government was criticized by the Labour opposition, which was now backed by Makepeace, who crossed the floor to join Labour due to his firing as Foreign Secretary and his opposition to Urquhart's rule. Makepeace demanded to know whether Urquhart had previous knowledge of the oil, and criticized his lack of transparency in the handling of the crisis; however, Urquhart used the crisis itself to distract his opponents' attention.

War
The first major action of the war was an attack on the British High Commission by the Greek nationalists. The nationalists held the High Commissioner and a number of his staff hostage, but they relocated the High Commissioner to a house in the countryside before the British could launch a raid. Major Jimmy Jardine and his special forces soldiers succeeded in rescuing the staffers from captivity, killing several nationalists. The victory helped to boost Urquhart's popularity, and not even the opposition dared criticize him, lest they be viewed as traitors. However, the British victory was short-lived, as President Nicolaou faced an increasing number of protests against his concessions. He asked for the British to renegotiate the border deal so that the Greek Cypriots would acquire some of the oil, doing so to appease the rebels. However, Urquhart told him that no concessions could be made, and instead offered military support. Nicolaou was opposed to foreign intervention on his behalf, opposing the idea of using foreign troops to kill his own people. Soon, Theodopoulos and his rebels overwhelmed the capital and confined Nicolaou in house arrest, sending him and the British High Commissioner to the presidential lodge in the countryside. Theodopoulos became President on popular acclaim, and he pressed for the nationalization of British industries in the country. The Cypriots called for peace, but the stubborn Urquhart refused. He intended to crush the rebellion.

Urquhart authorized Major Jardine's special forces units to rescue the President and the High Commissioner. The British soldiers did so successfully, and their armored column headed back towards the capital to restore the President and High Commissioner to their posts. However, they found the path blocked by schoolgirls who carried flowers and sang Greek songs, saying that they would only move aside if the British surrendered. Urquhart ordered for the British to clear the road anyway, as a helicopter was due to arrive to pick up the President and High Commissioner. When nationalist insurgents opened fire on the helicopter and the British soldiers, the British returned fire, and several fleeing protesters (including children) were killed in the crossfire. The massacre led to international condemnation, and many MPs openly called on Urquhart to resign.

President Nicolaou returned to power in Cyprus with British help, but Urquhart was not as lucky. He was assassinated not long after, with the Cypriot immigrant Evanghelos Passolides supposedly shooting him at the unveiling of a Margaret Thatcher statue to avenge the deaths of his two brothers at Urquhart's hands during the 1956 emergency. The situation in Cyprus returned to normal, with the new British prime minister, Makepeace, negotiating a new peace treaty.